1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an analysis system for detecting a specific object in liquid and a cartridge for containing the object of analysis and a reagent to be used for such an analysis system.
2. Related Background Art
Detecting a particular object contained in a specimen by means of an optical technique or an electric technique is a practice that is popular in various fields of technology and industry. Optical techniques that can be used for such a detection practice include detection of absorbed light, that of fluorescent light and that of emitted light. Electric techniques, on the other hand, include the use of amperometry, that of voltammetry and an electrode method similar to the preceding methods as well as the use of field effect transistors, quartz oscillators or some other electronic parts to detect a particular object.
Apparatus for qualitatively or quantitatively measure a particular object include those that are adapted to bring a specimen into contact with a sensor and those adapted to automatically carry out a plurality of necessary steps including a reaction step, a cleansing step and a preprocessing step.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,136,611 and 6,082,185 propose a cartridge that contains optical fibers having a particular profile and adapted to operate as sensor, a liquid feed flow channel being dug therein. The use of a cartridge as part of a measurement apparatus is important to make a site of the apparatus that can be contaminated by the specimen disposable. Additionally, such a cartridge is important as means for supplying a reagent by an amount necessary for measurement. Cartridges comprising tanks for storing a specimen and a plurality of different reagents are also being popularly used. Japanese Patent No. 2077364 and Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H10-062433 disclose the use of such a cartridge so that the liquid contained in each of the tanks is conveyed by a mechanism arranged at the side of the main body of the apparatus.
In recent years, many plate-shaped molded products that appear like single slide glass plate and integrally comprise liquid feed flow channels, containing tanks and reaction tanks have become popular. The pamphlet of International Publication No. WO01/013127 discloses a cartridge comprising a plate on the surface of which a plurality of reservoirs and capillaries are dug in and connected to a compressed air feed system by way of a diaphragm. Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-77305 discloses a microchip comprising a substrate in which a flow channel is formed and a part of the flow channel operates as optical waveguide and is connected to an external coaxial optical fiber so that light may be injected into and received by the optical waveguide. Cartridges containing a liquid feed mechanism in the inside are also known. For example, Japanese Patent No. 2832117 discloses a cartridge comprising a liquid flow channel in which a heat emitting element is arranged to boil and bubble liquid and the boiling and bubbling liquid is used to provide power for driving and feeding liquid.